Yoga Day Summit - Free Online Event

The Yoga Day Summit - International Day of Yoga
Free Online Event Presented by The Shift Network

From Ancient Wisdom
to Modern Science
A Journey Through Yoga

Shift Network invites you to join a global community of yogis - sages, scientists, musicians and teachers - to discover yoga practices, guided meditations and healing breathwork for restoring, balancing and invigorating your body, mind and soul.

This free online event begins on the International Day of Yoga, June 21, 2016.

The Yoga Day Summit consists  of 12+ hours of video broadcast with 50+ of the leading luminaries and includes inspirational stories from activist yogis, global yoga events highlights,and the world premiere of the new film The Science Behind Yoga, which highlights the latest medical and scientific research about the healing benefits of yoga.  The free registration also includes several downloadable bonuses.

For more information and to register for free, please visit Yoga Day Summit.
Disclosure:  we are NOT an affiliate nor receive any compensation for posting this link.

The Speakers

H.H. Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji - Website

President & Spiritual Head of the Parmarth Niketan Ashram 

Co-Founder of Global Interfaith WASH Alliance

Topic: Yoga Day Opening

Seane Corn - Website

International Yoga Teacher and Co-founder of Off the Mat, Into the World®

Topic: Yoga Today

Mooji - Website

Spiritual Teacher

Topic: Satsang

Shiva Rea - Website

Sacred Activist, Global Adventurer and Leading Innovator in the 

Evolution of Prana Vinyasa Yoga

Topic: Inner Nectar: A Lunar Sadhana for Women's Balance

Deepak Chopra - Website

Founder of The Chopra Foundation, Senior Scientist, The Gallup Organization

Topic: Yoga and Healing

Michael A. Singer - Website

Founder of Temple of the Universe, New York Times Bestselling Author

Topics: Yoga and The Untethered Soul, Karma Yoga: Selfless Service

Janet Stone - Website

Yoga Teacher

Topics: Yoga Today, Yoga Class

Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati - Website

President of the Divine Shakti Foundation, Secretary-General of 

Global Interfaith WASH Alliance 

Topics: The Deeper Essence of Yoga, Karma Yoga: Selfless Service, Y

oga Day Closing: Ganga Aarti from Rishikesh

Anand Mehrotra - Website

Founder of Sattva Yoga, Visionary Master Teacher, 

Community and Thought Leader, and Conscious Entrepreneur

Topic: The Deeper Essence of Yoga

Kia Miller - Website

Yoga and Meditation Teacher

Topic: Yoga Today

H.H. Pujya Radhanath Swamiji - Website

Founder of Radha Gopinath Temple, Spiritual Teacher

Topic: Bhakti Yoga: The Path of Devotion

Sharon Gannon - Website

Founder of Jivamukti Yoga, Author and Musician

Topics: The Science of Yoga, Karma Yoga: Selfless Service

Ana Forrest - Website

Founder of Forrest Yoga, Yoga Teacher

Topic: The Science of Yoga

Brother Govindananda

Meditation Facilitator and Member of Self-Realization Fellowship

Topic: Kriya Yoga: The Science of Self Realization

Tommy Rosen - Website

Founder and Producer of Recovery 2.0: Beyond Addiction Conferences

Topic: Yoga Today

Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D. - Website

Biologist, Speaker, Author

Topic: The Science of Yoga

Richard Miller - Website

Clinical Psychologist, President of Integrative Restoration Institute, 

Co-Founder of International Assoc. of Yoga Therapy

Topic: Hatha Yoga & Meditation

Deva Premal & Miten - Website

Spiritual Musicians

Topic: Sacred Sounds of Yoga

Dr. Joseph Michael Levry - Website

Founder of Naam Yoga, Doctor of Philosophy, Composer, Author

Topic: Naam Yoga Super Classes

Larry Payne Ph.D. - Website

Founding President of International Association of Yoga Therapists and Author

Topics: Yoga and Healing, Yoga Class

How Yoga Transforms Your Body [Infographic]

We've all heard how the regular practice of yoga confers many health benefits, including weight loss and healthy weight maintenance, increased flexibility, improved balance, stronger bones, and decreased risk of chronic disease.

But what many of us may not realize is that certain benefits begin to accrue immediately - right after the very first class!

This wonderful infographic entitled "How Yoga Transforms Your Body" illustrates how yoga improves various aspects of physical, mental and emotional health and well-being after just one class, after several months of practice and after years of practice.

With so many important immediate and long-term benefits, there is no excuse not to begin a yoga practice today!

Related:
What is Yoga?
26 Amazing Benefits of Yoga
Yoga Starter - What's Your Style?
Redefine the Role of Yoga
Restorative Yoga Poses to Relieve Stress

Infographic Source and More Information at: Huffington Post, How Yoga Changes Your Body, Starting the Day You Begin

Infographic: 26 Amazing Benefits of Yoga

A regular yoga practice confers so many more health benefits than just toning and strengthening muscles, enhancing flexibility and improving coordination.  There are many other important physical, as well as psychological and biochemical benefits associated with yoga.

This infographic identifies 26 of those health benefits.

Infographic Source:
Mind-Body Yoga of Butler, PA

Related:
✿ How Yoga Transforms Your Body
✿ The Eight Limbs of Yoga
✿ Yoga Health Benefits
✿ What is Yoga?
Yoga Starter:  What's Your Style?

Infographic: Redefine the Role of Yoga

Infographic: Eight Limbs of Yoga (Ashtanga) 

Many of today's top weight loss experts agree that before you can successfully and permanently lose weight, and maintain that weight loss, you must first restore your general health.

More and more of those same weight loss, nutrition and fitness gurus agree that focusing on just one aspect of health is not enough; that optimal, natural wellness necessarily includes not only a healthy physical body but also a healthy mind (emotions, thoughts, spirit).

The eight limbs of yoga, known as Ashtanga Yoga, as outlined by Patanjali, is an integrated system of exercises and practices designed to promote control of both the mind and and the body, and train the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight.  In this sense, Ashtanga Yoga is a complete path to natural health and wellness, addressing mind, body and spirit.

This infographic from TrueWellnessGroup.com and Rakesh Sethi (Wellness Speaker, Author and Ayurvedic Practitioner), illustrates and briefly describes the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga (Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Yama, Dhyana, Samadhi, Dharana and Pratyahara).

Rakesh Sethi is the author of Health + Happiness = Wellness, in which he reveals why one solution does not fit everyone and explains why each individual needs to discover how his or her unique physical, mental ad spiritual composition operates, and then utilize that knowledge to achieve natural wellness.

Infographic source and article:  Ashtanga Yoga: What is It and its Role in our Wellness.

Related:
How Yoga Transforms Your Body
The Eight Limbs of Yoga
Yoga Health Benefits
What is Yoga?
Yoga Starter:  What's Your Style?

Infographic: The 8 Limbs of Yoga

Traditional Yoga Practice:  Eight Limbs [Infographic | Image]

Practicing yoga asanas (postures, poses) is an excellent way to improve one's general physical health.

A regular yoga practice builds strong, lean muscles and bones, improves flexibility and coordination, heals aches and pains, relieves stress, aids in weight loss, and protects against chronic disease.

But there is more to yoga than just reaping the health benefits by practicing the postures.

In his book, The Deeper Dimension of Yoga: Theory and Practice, Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D, writes:

"Yoga is much more than a system of physical exercises - it is a profound path of self-transformation that encompasses a range of teachings, practices, and sacred text that can help us cultivate wisdom, balance, and inner freedom, as well as physical heatlh."

Dr. Feuerstein notes that the real power of traditional yoga lies in the domain of mind training and self-transformation.

Indeed, traditional yoga (as opposed to "fitness" yoga which is popular in the West and considered a reductionist form of traditional practice) is a spiritual practice that entails the "Eight Limbs of Yoga" (aka Ashtanga Yoga).  These are beautifully and simply illustrated and briefly described in this infographic/image:

1.  Yama  (self-restraint: spiritual conduct and truthfulness, non-greed, non-theft, and non-injury)
2.  Niyama (right personal conduct, dedication and self-study, austerity, purity and contentment)
3.  Asana (control of the body through postures and movement)
4.  Pranayama (control of the breath and life force by mastering breathing techniques)
5.  Pratyahara (control of the senses)
6.  Dharana (steadying the mind and emotions)
7.  Dhyana (connecting with one's spiritual self through meditation and contemplation)
8.  Samahdi (bliss and liberation)

Related:

Yoga Health Benefits
What is Yoga?
Yoga Starter:  What's Your Style?
Redefine the Role of Yoga
Meditation Styles
The Body on Meditation

Infographic/Image Source:  Unknown - please contact us for proper credit ~ thank you!

Yoga: Strike a Pose [Infographic]

This infographic, adaped from Show Me How: 500 Things You Should Know - Instructions for Life from the Everyday to the Exotic, illustrates 27 of some of the more common and popular yoga poses (asanas) and includes a color code for beginners, pregnant women and intermediate practitioners.   Printed out, it serves as a great reference guide.

Yoga: Strike a Pose from Show Me How by Laruen Smith and Derek Fagerstrom

Show Me How by Lauren Smith and Derek Fagerstrom is a revolutionary re-imagining of the reference genre, partly a how-to guide, partly a graphic art showpiece and partly pure inspiration - wordless, highly informative step-by-step procedurals allowing readers to learn how to do hundreds of useful tasks.

Related:
What is Yoga?
Health Benefits of Yoga
Yoga Starter:  What's Your Style?

Infographic: Restorative Yoga Poses to Relieve Stress

Restorative yoga is intended to deeply relax and heal beyond regular sleep and rest by triggering the parasympathetic nervous system (one of the three main divisions of the automatic nervous system) by restoring balance when an individual feels stressed or overwhelmed.

Since stress plays such an important role in weight gain, restorative yoga may be useful in weight loss efforts as well as to maintain a healthy weight.

It is thought that the deep mind-body response from a restorative yoga practice helps to stimulate the immune and endocrine systems, lower the heart rate and high blood pressure, provide a benefit to internal organs, as well as provide general health benefits associated with any yoga practice.

Restorative yoga comprises of many of the same poses (asanas) as used in other yoga styles, but makes extensive use of props in order to hold the body in a passive way, allowing the body to deeply rest for longer periods of time, as shown in this Infographic.

Props include yoga blocks, bolsters, pillows, blankets, chairs, a wall and balls.

This Infographic entitled "The Best Restorative Yoga Poses to Relieve Stress" illustrates and provides instructions (including use of props) for the following

✿ Child's Pose (Balasana)

✿ Half-Pigeon (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)

✿ Supported Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangazana)

✿ Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Buddha Konasana aka Goddess Pose)

✿ Legs Up The Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)

✿ Corpse Pose (Savasana)

Related:
What is Yoga?
Yoga Health Benefits
Yoga Starter - What's Your Style?
How Yoga Transforms Your Body
6 Yoga Office Moves

Infographic Source:  Greatist 

Infographic: 6 Yoga Office Moves

No time to attend a yoga class or engage in a full practice session at home?  You can still benefit from yoga at the office (as well as in the home office) with these six easy moves as illustrated in this infographic:

1.  Forward Bend
2.  Spinal Twist
3.  Side Stretch
4.  Knee Squeeze
5.  Leg Lifts
6.  Sun Pose

Related:
Yoga Health Benefits
What is Yoga?
Yoga Starter:  What's Your Style?

Infographic Source:
Yoga Relief Tips

Make Time for Your Yoga [Picture of the Day]

Make Time for Your Yoga (its important)

Image source:  this handmade 8 x 10 doodle print is available for purchase at Artsyville ~~

Picture of the Day: Downward Dog Pug!

This is precious! This little pug really knows his downward dog pose!

Image Source: Unknown - please contact us for credit!

Infographic: Yoga Starter - What's Your Style?

This brilliant infographic has a wheel that explains the key elements of 12 different styles of yoga.  If you are new to yoga or want to explore another style, it can help you determine which type is right for you based on your personal preferences and various features and other considerations:

❤ Flow
❤ Endurance
❤ Strength
❤ Weight Loss
❤ Sweaty
❤ Stress Relief
❤ Focused Breathing
❤ Heart Opening
❤ Fast Pace
❤ Slow Pace
❤ Relaxing
❤ Meditation
❤ Chanting
❤ Philosophy
❤ Prenatal
❤ Vegetarian

The 12 styles of yoga covered are currently the most popular in the West:

Vigorous Flow
✿ Ashtanga
✿ Hatha
✿ Vinyasa

Hot Yoga
✿ Barkan
✿ Bikram

Alignment
✿ Anusara
✿ Iyengar

Healing
✿ Restorative
✿ Viniyoga

Spiritual
✿ Kundalini

Lifestyle
✿ Jivamuki
✿ Svananda

The infographic also has a few interesting facts about the practice of yoga and illustrates 15 postures (poses) with their respective names.

Related:
What is Yoga?
Yoga Health Benefits
The 8 Limbs of Yoga



Infographic Source:  Health Central

For a full-page rendition of this infographic visit Yoga for Starters - Namaste at Visua.ly

Infographic: What is Yoga?

Yoga.  Everyone is doing it.

For many, it is a form of physical exercise -  the yoga postures ("asanas") are known to confer many fitness and health benefits.  For others, yoga a way of life that encompasses meditation, a spiritual practice and a dietary discipline.

This infographic illustrates the guiding principle and ultimate goal of a yoga practice - that is, to achieve a state of inner peace through the "divine union" of the mind, body and spirit.

The infographic also explains the following six traditional branches of yoga:

❤ Hatha Yoga
❤ Bhakti Yoga
❤ Raja Yoga
❤ Jnana Yoga
❤ Karma Yoga
❤ Tantra Yoga

Additionally, there are many traditional and modern styles or types of yoga that are being practiced worldwide today.   In the West, some of the popular styles include:

✿ Ashtanga
✿ Bikram
✿ Integral
✿ ISHTA
✿ Kripalu
✿ Kundalini
✿ Power Yoga
✿ Restorative
✿ Vinyasa
✿ Yin Yoga

To help you figure out which yoga style is appropriate for you, take the Yoga Style Quiz.

Related:
Yoga Starter - What's Your Style?
Yoga Health Benefits
The 8 Limbs of Yoga

Further Reading:
Yoga Styles Guide

Infographic Source:  Piktochart

Infographic: Yoga Health Benefits

We've all heard of yoga and how great it is for our physical, mental and emotional health.

Study after study has shown that a regular yoga practice confers a broad spectrum of health benefits including reducing inflammation, relieving anxiety ad chronic stress, improving heart health and helping with weight loss.  A healthy weight, in turn, lowers the risk for coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and other overweight or obesity related illnesses and conditions.

Yoga aids in weight loss by:

❤ Decreasing cortisol and adrenaline, two stress hormones that are linked to weight gain, especially belly fat

❤ Increasing heart rate and internal body heat which increases the metabolic rate (metabolism) and helps burn fat

❤ Stimulating the digestive tract, which improves digestion and aids in detoxification

This infographic entitled "The Health Benefit of Yoga" beautifully illustrates some very good reasons to begin a yoga practice.

A daily yoga practice combined with a daily meditation practice is a powerful health and weight loss combination.  Best of all, both yoga and meditation can be done at any time, in the privacy of your own home.

Related:
✔ What is Yoga?
✔ Yoga Starter - What's Your Style?
✔ The 8 Limbs of Yoga
✔ What is Mindfulness Meditation?
✔ The Body on Meditation


Infographic Source:
YogaCaraShop

Plant-Based Diet and Yoga - a Powerful Combination

The Flexi Foodie! Shamazing Plant-based Recipe Blog (via PR Newswire)

Fantastic, Delicious Plant-based Recipes Download image The Flexi Foodie: Combining plant-based nutrition with power yoga! So unbelievably good for you! (PRNewsFoto/Julie Montagu Ltd.) LONDON, May 17, 2023 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Yoga and a plant-based diet: they're like Harry and Sally, or Batman and…

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